


We Bleed a Different Color

by UminekoSaih



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android Discrimination, Android Segregation, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Body Horror, Connor licking stuff, Denial of Feelings, Depression, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Homophobic Language, Internalized Homophobia, Loss of Virginity, Multi, Murder, Philosophy, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Serial Killers, Slow Burn, Uncanny Valley, Violence, and Hank trying to stop him in vain, by a fortune telling super computer slash android, fuck reed, mentions of bad endings, no beta we die like men, there will be happiness i swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-06-05 07:08:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15165314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UminekoSaih/pseuds/UminekoSaih
Summary: But we both die when we bleed out.Following the revolution, androids and humans have been trying to settle down and adjust to the presence of the other.However, not all is fine and dandy as a menacing presence lurks in the shadows of Detroit and creates tension between the two species.Connor and Hank are assigned to a case that is more than meets the eyes. This is something bigger than them but they sure as hell will find whoever is behind the string of gruesome murders of humans and androids alike, killing with a clear message to the world:Are you really alive?





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> This is my first fic in this fandom and I'm so excited! It's been a long time since the last time I wrote so comments are appreciated :)  
> The first chapter will be a sort of intro to the main story, enjoy the ride!
> 
> This story is dedicated to my boyfriend, who's been supporting my obsession for various fandoms and gay pairings for two years now, and also to a very dear friend that I've known for years and who beta'd some of my first fics and who's just a beautiful ray of sunshine that needs to be protected.

 Connor stood in the middle of Fowler’s office, his posture impeccable but a slight frown and twitch of his lips betrayed how nervous he felt.

Three months after the success of the android revolution, Hank suggested that Connor come back to the precinct to work with him. Laws were slowly but surely being put in place, the firsts being androids recognised as sentient and living beings, the right to citizenship and the right to work with a salary. Of course, he’d have to convince Fowler first, which was, as Hank elegantly said, “going to be a pain in the ass”. 

“So… You wish to come back and work alongside Lieutenant Anderson?” Fowler said slowly.

“That is correct.”

 Fowler stared at him with curiosity.

 “Tell me Connor, you are a Deviant?”

 Connor still had some trouble admitting he was a Deviant, a remnant from the control Cyberlife had on him.

“Yes.”

 “Do you think you can still maintain a certain objectivity during investigations? And do you think that your… Emotions towards Lieutenant Anderson won’t affect your choices?”

 Connor blinked as his LED went yellow, processing what Fowler said.

 “My primary function remains the same as before. I will find and stop the culprit, no matter what species they are. As for Lieutenant Anderson…” He hesitated, which made Fowler smile a little.

  
“I think you’ve told me enough Connor.”

Connor thought for a moment that he’d messed up somehow and opened his mouth to protest but Fowler raised a hand to silence him.

 “It was a test. I wanted to see if you really had changed.” Connor blinked again. “And, judging by the hesitation on the subject of Hank, I believe that you would not sacrifice Hank for the sake of the mission.”

 Connor let out a small smirk.

 “Must I remind you of the second deviancy case?”

 Fowler returned the smirk, he remembered it clearly.  
Connor has chosen to save Hank over accomplishing the mission which Fowler liked to believe as Connor’s first sign of deviancy.

 “Welcome back, Connor.”

 

* * *

 

 “Well? How did it go?” Hank said almost immediately after Connor had stepped through the front door.

 Hank had offered Connor the option to stay with him. An offer that Connor gratefully accepted as he had nowhere left to go since the revolution.

 Connor had taken it upon himself to download various domestic assistant and household worker programs in order to help Hank around the house. Hank rarely bothered to clean up after himself and he took care of himself poorly. So, Connor did the best next thing, he became the house cleaner, cooker and health trainer. Hank shortened that to “Nanny Bot”.

 “Fowler has accepted to let me come back to work alongside you.” Connor smiled happily as he gave Sumo’s head a small pat.  
Hank returned the smile and hooked an arm around Connor’s shoulder as he guided him from the hallway to the kitchen.

 “I’m happy for ya, kid. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

 Hank handed him an unmarked envelop that had been resting on the kitchen table. He carefully opened it and pulled out a small plastic card. An ID.

 “You’re an official citizen now, Connor Anderson.”

 Connor’s eyes snapped to Hank’s, wide with surprise and something else Hank couldn’t quite place.

 “You let me have your last name?” His voice trembled slightly.

 Hank’s grin turned into a soft smile.

 “Of course, you’re…” Hank avoided Connor’s bright brown eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “You’re family. Of course, you’re not my son or my husband but since you didn’t have a last name and they asked for one, I just… Thought it was fitting.”

 Hank hadn’t heard Connor approach him nor did he expect slender but strong arms to wrap around his shoulders.

 “Thank you.” He heard Connor whisper, with more emotion than Hank had ever heard before from the android.

 He hugged Connor back, patting his shoulder blades.

When they parted, Hank noticed Connor’s LED blinking yellow.

 “What’re you thinking about?”

 Hank was starting to worry when Connor didn’t answer after a minute.

 “Connor?”

 Connor blinked and looked at Hank as the LED settled to blue.

 “Forgive me, I got a call from Fowler in the middle of our hug.”

 Hank frowned.

 “A new case? So soon?”

 “Yes.” Connor looked slightly troubled. “Two androids and a human have been found dead in their home, quite brutally murdered. Since the crime involved androids, he thought it was in the best interest to put us on the case.”

 “What’s got your knickers in a twist then?” Hank grumbled as he started to the hallway.

 “The human was a child.”

 Hank stopped dead in his tracks.

 “What?”

 “Apparently, the child was an orphan taken in by the android couple. They had plans to finalise the adoption yesterday but have been reported absent. Now we know why.”

 Connor could not see Hank’s face but small ticks in his body language told the android that he was troubled.

 “Should I ask Fowler to direct this case to someone else?”

 “No.” He murmured before clearing his throat. “No. Let’s go.”

 He quickly grabbed his coat and headed out towards his car. Connor followed quickly.

 He was going to have to keep a close eye on Hank. He knew that the case would ultimately remind him of Cole and he didn’t want Hank to return to the state he was in before Connor appeared in his life.

 Connor never wanted to see that again.


	2. All Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of something sinister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title: All Eyes – Post War Years

Hank practically drove as fast as he could to the crime scene. If it weren’t for Connor’s presence, he most likely would’ve broken every law he could on the road.

 The house they arrived at was modest and hidden by a thick hedge as if wanting to be hidden and isolated but was now crawling with police officers.

Hank marched into the house first with Connor hot on his heels. Officer Ben Collins was there to welcome them.

 “Victims are a PJ500 registered as Kevin Harrington, a BL100 registered as Marie Harrington and an orphan named James. Police were asked to check on them when they didn’t attend the adoption meeting yesterday.” Ben started to rattle off, even though he was pale and clearly distraught. “They were all killed with a single shot to the head but have been… Gutted and their internal organs and biocomponents have been laid out. There is also a message written on the wall with a mix of thirium and blood. The thirium evaporated though so this wasn’t recent.”

 “Thanks, go outside. You look like you’re about to puke.”

 Ben nodded at both of them before exiting the house.

Hank led Connor to the living room where the victims were. Hank felt bile rising at the back of his throat.  
  
The victims were posed: the two adult androids sitting against the wall on the floor, the human child resting between them. Their eyes were wide open but vacant, though the child still had colored irises whereas the androids’ eyes were glazed over. A single bullet wound at their temples and their entire torsos open for the whole world to see but devoid of the things you’d expect to see there.

Instead the organs were meticulously arranged in separate piles around the corpses. A pile for wires and intestines, a pile for a heart and thiruim pumps and finally one pile for two bottles: one filled with blood and the other filled with thirium.

 “The victims were shot at point blank range, there is gunpowder residue around the entry wounds.” Connor started. “There are no signs of struggle, neither on the victims nor around the house, everything is intact.”

 He looked at the message on the wall.

  _ARE YOU REALLY ALIVE?_

 A frown settled on his face as he identified the font: Cyberlife Sans.

 “Were any fingerprints found?” He asked one of the forensic officers.

 The man shook his head as he continued taking pictures.

 “None were found.”

 “This might be the work of an android, Lieutenant.”

 Hank nodded absentmindedly, gaze fixated on the child.

Connor noticed but said nothing, continuing to rattle off facts and evidence.

 “A 0.45 caliber handgun was used.” Connor headed to the kitchen and saw that food had been laid out. “The victims were about to have dinner.”

 He dipped his fingers in the food and licked them.

 “No traces of any sort of poison or drug in the food and water. No sleeping gas in the air.” He marched back to the corpses. “No sign of a foreign intrusion.”

 He dipped his hands in the blue and red blood and licked. Conner found it slightly disconcerting that Hank didn’t even bother to comment on how disgusting he was being and the other polices officers seemed to notice as well.

 “Nothing in their systems. They did not struggle against their killer, nor were they drugged in order to facilitate the murder.” He stared at them before remembering that there were five plates on the kitchen table. “They knew the killer. They had invited him over. But… There was someone else.”

 Indeed, Connor saw two pairs of footprints that had been sectioned off by forensics. They did not match up the footwear of the victims.

 “The killer was someone they trusted. We’re going to have to check their logs to see who they have contacted recently.”

 Hank remained silent. Connor heaved a sigh before walking towards his partner and placed himself in front of him.

 “Lieutenant, I have gathered everything I could. Let’s leave.”

 Hank nodded absentmindedly and let himself be led out of the house by Connor. The warmth of the android’s hand on his shoulder was comforting because Hank felt like he was freezing. The entire world around him was tuned out, his only focus being Connor’s hand.

 Connor.

Connor, Connor, Connor, Connor.

This time around, he didn’t imagine Cole in the stead of the dead child. He imagined Connor in the stead of the male android. It took him by surprise and shook him to the core.

It was then and there that he realized just how much he cared about Connor.

 Connor stopped and turned around when he felt Hank squeeze his hand tightly, to the point it would’ve been considered painful for a human.

 “Hank? Are you okay?” He whispered, approaching him.

 Hank looked at him with a certain desperation before shaking his head and letting his hand slip from Connor’s hand.

 “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go, I need a goddamn drink. And before you say anything Nanny Bot, nothing you say will stop me.” He grumbled as he walked to the car.

 Connor frowned as he followed his partner but decided against pressing the matter. As he slid into the passenger seat of Hank’s car, the man started blasting some heavy metal, startling the officers that stood nearby. He merely glared at them before driving off.

 He headed straight for Jimmy’s and Connor hesitated, wondering if he should go with him or stay in the car. Hank stopped at the door and turned to look at Connor, gesturing for him to come.

 Connor quickly got out as Hank shook his head.

 “Fucking poodle.”

 They both entered the bar and, while the No Android sign was still up, the patrons greeted Hank and Connor with civility. They knew better than to fuck with Connor when Hank was around.

 They sat down, Hank instantly slumping forward while Connor stood ramrod straight as always.

 “The usual?” Jimmy asked.

 “Yeah.” Hank grunted.

 Connor observed the rows of glass and alcohol in front of him.

He could see his distorted reflection on the mirror behind the rows.He pondered as to what the killer meant by “ _ARE YOU REALLY ALIVE?_ ”.

He thought that he was addressing androids, what with their deviancy yet still being made up of ones and zeros. But, now that he thought a little harder about it, the killer could’ve been addressing humans as well. That just opened a whole other can of philosophical worms that Connor didn’t really want to think about. In both cases, the question was a difficult subject to approach.

 He was pulled out of his thoughts when Jimmy set a small glass in front of him. It was filled with thirium.He looked up at Jimmy, confused. The man shrugged.

“I was told that androids could drink thirium directly and it’s pretty awkward always seeing you just sit there while Hank drinks his ass into oblivion.” Hank snorted. “Anyways, since you always come with him and you’re not causing any trouble, I ordered a small supply for the times you come in.”

 Connor stared at him for an uncomfortable amount of time, his LED stuck on yellow.

 “If you don’t like it, just say it.”

 “Ah! Forgive me, I…” He stared at the glass and smiled. “Thank you.”

 He could see Hank smiling from the corner of his eye as Jimmy nodded and went to tend another customer. Connor couldn’t stop smiling as Hank offered a toast.

 Seeing each other happy made them happy and that was what they needed after what they saw that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments on the previous chapter! You're all so sweet, I hope you liked this chapter :)
> 
> The chapters feel pretty short but idk, they feel nice like this maybe future chapters will be longer


	3. My Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His eyes in my eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title: My Demons – Starset

Hank woke up with the worst headache he’s had in a while. Damn, Connor must’ve really let him indulge last night.

He walked to the kitchen, yawning, only to find that Sumo was missing. He deduced that Connor took him out for a walk. He found on the kitchen table a tall glass of water and two advils. He smiled affectionately, downing the tablets with water. He proceeded to make coffee and thought about their new case.

Now that he wasn’t standing in front of the corpses, his mind didn’t freeze up. He nevertheless felt uncomfortable as the image of a dead and gutted Connor appeared in his mind. He took a deep breath and tried to remember what Connor was saying.

He remembered him saying that it was highly likely that the victims knew their killers, judging by the lack of signs of struggle and the presence of five plates in a home of three. Connor had suggested looking at the android’s logs once they have been moved to evidence but Hank doubted he’d find much seeing as they had been shot in the head, there was a high chance the memory compartment was fried.

He took a sip of his coffee and sighed in satisfaction before returning to his thoughts.

The fact that an android was likely to have committed the murder was very plausible. The writing on the wall was extremely neat but the lack of fingerprints could also be attributed to a person wearing gloves. After all, there might’ve been two people during the crime.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the doorbell ringing. He got up and opened the door to find a delivery android.

“Package for Mr. Anderson?”

Hank frowned. He didn’t order anything, he assumed that Connor must’ve gotten something.

“Yeah.” He took the small box the android handed to him.

“Sign here.” Hank did as he was asked. “Have a nice day.”

The android smiled and left to head back to his van as Hank closed his door. A hand stopped him before he could close it completely and he jumped to attention in case it was an attacker.

“Hank! It’s me, Conner!” The android said as he pushed back against Hank who had practically slammed the door in his face.

“The android sent by Cyberlife?” He said teasingly as Connor entered the house.

“Very funny.” He said, Sumo barging past his long legs to quickly get to his food. “You seem to really appreciate that phrase, so do you coworkers… Have I been… Meme’d?”

Hank blinked before laughing.

“Where did you learn that word?” He said as he held onto the wall for support.

“I overheard Reed say that word when asked why people kept hearing my phrase around the precinct. Naturally, I did some research and found that it does make some amount of sense though I do not understand it fully.”

Hank shook his head, still smiling as he handed Connor the box.

“Here, this came in for you.”

Connor frowned.

“I did not order anything.”

They looked at each other for a solid minute.

“What do you mean you didn’t order anything?”

“What would I order, Hank?”

“I don’t know! Parts? Packs of blue blood?”

They looked at each other again as tension started rising.

“I’m going to go and slowly place this on the kitchen table so you can have a look at it, alright?”

Connor nodded and followed Hank to the kitchen.

The man slowly placed it on the table and let out a breath when nothing happened. Connor moved closer to look at the package. He stared at it before sniffing it and licking a corner. Once again, Hank grimaced and was reminded of a dog.

Connor slowly pressed a hand to the top of the package and squeezed lightly.

“The package is safe.” He announced.

“You wanna open it or do we bring it back to the precinct?”

“I think this package was meant for us Hank, perhaps we should open it first.”

Hank sighed.

“Alright then.”

Connor proceeded to slowly and methodically open the box. It revealed a tablet. It was not booby trapped from the inside so Connor picked it up and turned it on. There was just a single video and when Connor pressed play, he instantly froze up, eyes wide and LED becoming a wild red.

“Woah! Connor! Are you alri-!”

The words got stuck in Hank’s throat as he saw what was playing on the tablet.

It was a video of the crime scene.

From Connor’s eyes.

* * *

 

They went to the precinct as fast as they could. They hoped to get a link through whoever bought the model and Hank helped to identify the android model he saw.

An Asian HR400 apparently.

When Hank returned to Connor’s side, the android’s LED was no longer red but was perpetually stuck on yellow. He hadn’t said a thing since he saw the video and that was an hour ago.

“Connor.” Hank tried but the android did not respond. “Connor!”

He slapped Connor. Payback for that time when he was drunk, passed out on the floor.

Connor blinked rapidly and seemed to come back to his senses.

“I-I’m sorry, Lieutenant. I was having trouble with…” He searched for his words. “With my emotions.”

“You were in shock.” Hank pointed out, finally being able to put a word to Connor’s state.

“It would seem so.” He looked around. “When did we get here?”

“Just about an hour ago. If it weren’t for your LED, I would’ve thought you’d shut down.”

“Forgive me. I should try to control my emotions better.”

Hank sniffed.

Connor had a nasty habit of always saying sorry when he did something he considered bad such as making a mistake, failing a mission or, in this case, losing control of his emotions. Hank easily attributed that type of behavior to an abused child and he wouldn’t be too far off judging by the little Connor had told him about his interactions with Cyberlife.

“You don’t have to be sorry. Emotions get the best of us and in this case? Completely justified. I would be freaked out too if I learned that someone managed to get ahold of a memory that’s supposed to be safe in my head.” He offered a hesitant smile to which Connor replied with his own hesitant smile.

“I… I don’t know how they managed to get ahold of that…” He said very weakly. “Perhaps, Amanda is still messing with my programming. Perhaps… I truly am not alive. She might still be controlling me, Hank.”

Connor was shaking now. Or vibrating, Hank wasn’t entirely sure.

He placed his hands on the android’s shoulders to steady him.

“Don’t you say that, Connor. You’re alive. You’re you. You tore free from your programming to do whatever you felt like doing. She does not control you, not anymore.”

“How did they get that video then?” Connor was frowning. “There’s very few possibilities here. Either, they managed to subdue me and forcefully interfaced with me, or I’ve been hacked.”

“Wouldn’t you feel it in both cases?”

“Technology is forever evolving, in both good and bad ways. It wouldn’t surprise me to see someone be able to create a hack that can pass unnoticed by me.”

It was Hank’s turn to frown. To think about those things was disconcerting to say the least. It made Hank see just how vulnerable androids could be, that they weren’t just immortal beings with super brains and strength.

“Isn’t Cyberlife consistently giving androids updates to their software?”

Despite facing major backlash following the revolution, Cyberlife continued the production of androids on a smaller scale and massive production of parts as well as regular software updates.

“In order to fix the flaw the hack exploited, they would first need to locate the flaw. Since I didn’t feel it, I doubt they would have found it.”

Hank hummed as he settled in his seat at his desk. He stared at Connor who, in turn, stared at his hands. The android looked completely lost, confused out of his mind.

“Connor.” A soft voice said.

They both looked up to see the RK900 along with a frowning Gavin Reed behind him.

Following the revolution, the RK900 was found in one of the warehouses, he had been awakened but did not seem to want to venture out and join a revolution.

A month before Connor came back to the DPD, the RK900 joined and was assigned to Reed which had made Hank and Connor laugh out loud when they learned about it.

Gavin spent most of his days insulting the android but the latter seemed to take none of his bullshit and would insult him back leading to a heated fight between a dick and a brick wall.

“Nine.”

Gavin gave the android the name Nine when he was fed up of saying RK900 all the time. The android seemed to embrace it happily.

“I have learned about what happened today.” Despite how large Nine was, he had a surprisingly soft voice. “Would you allow me to interface with you?”

Nine held up his hand, skin peeling back to reveal the white exoskeleton underneath. Connor nodded and gave his hand. They stared at each other as their LEDs flashed yellow. Hank and Gavin watched them curiously. Anyone walking in on them at this point would see a particular scene indeed.

Nine’s LED became red and he snatched his hand away from Connor’s as if he was burned. He backed away in a panic, hitting the desk behind him.

“Nine!” Gavin held the android by the arm. “What the hell happened?”

Connor looked at him confused and, if androids could sweat, Hank thought that Nine would be drenched.

“I-I saw… Someone else was looking at me.” His LED was alternating between yellow and red. “And also, before that, uh…”

Gavin and Hank were looking at him worriedly. He couldn’t stop stumbling over his words and his eyes were darting everywhere.

“I noticed there were spaces in your memory that made no sense. Blanks that don’t align with stasis.” He looked at Connor. “You were tampered with.”

“What?”

“Those blanks. They appear in the middle of your walks with your dog or when you go out to buy things, they don’t make sense.” Nine’s LED returned to a soft blue. “Someone is inside your system.”

Connor’s eyes widened in horror and Hank’s hands trembled underneath the desk.

Someone had attacked Connor and toyed with his programs. It could be the killer and they were now following them wherever they went. This was bad, very bad.

“Wait. That means whoever’s behind all this has significant knowledge in AI and robotics.” Gavin noticed.

“There is a possibility that the attacker is a Cyberlife employee.” Nine added as Gavin nodded.

“Nine and I will go interrogate Cyberlife employees.”

Gavin looked at Connor with a slight frown before clicking his tongue and sneering.

“We’re going to get you fixed up, you fucking piece of plastic.” He hit Connor’s shoulder before leaving.

“You should probably pay a visit to Kamski.” Nine looked at Connor with the same frown Gavin had before nodding to Hank and leaving with his partner.

“He’s right.” Hank stood up. “Come on, the quicker we do this, the better.”

Connor shook his head as if to clear his head before nodding at Hank, smiling.

“Excited to see Mr. Kamski?”

Hank’s face distorted with disgust.

“Ugh, God no. He’s the personification of the grease you’d find on the floor of a McDonald’s, who’d ever be excited to see him?”

Connor smiled but on the inside, he felt the thirium in his wires flow at an intense rate. He associated this feeling with panic but the full force of the panic hadn’t hit him yet. He supposed it was only a matter of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 33 kudos, wow! That's the most I've ever gotten X3
> 
> This chapter is a bit longer than the last, I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets unveiled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title: Burn – Cody Crump

No one was excited to see Elijah Kamski except Elijah Kamski himself.

"Connor! Lieutenant Anderson! What a pleasure. I didn't think I'd ever see you again after the revolution." He leered at Connor.

"Yeah, yeah. We need your help." Hank said as he looked at the swimming pool that now held two Connors instead of Chloes.

Fuck, the guy was a disgusting pervert.

"Oh? Interesting. What does a deviant and a human need with me?" He said.

Kamski was practically gliding around the room in his robe, swaying his hips like he was some sort of hooker.

"Someone has tampered with my programming. I need your help in order to fix it." Connor’s eyes followed Kamski as he moved through the room.

Elijah's eyesbrows rose to his hairline.

"Why wouldn't you go to Cyberlife? Oh. No wait. Because it could've been somebody from Cyberlife who sabotaged you in the first place. Understandable."

Kamski offered a glass of whiskey to Hank but the latter looked at skeptically.

"Don't be ridiculous, it isn't spiked. Have Connor try it if you don't believe me."

Hank sniffed and took the glass, practically downing it in one swig.

"Connor. Come help me, darling."

One of the RK800s stepped out of the pool and joined the group.

"God, you didn't even bother to give him a different name." Hank sneered.

Kamski smiled.

"Well, Cyberlife did name the models Connor. It would be strange to change it."

Connor stared at his counterpart as he stood beside Kamski. He smirked which ticked Connor off.

While being the same model, they probably ended up with different personalities seeing who they frequented on a daily basis.

"Guide him to the bedroom and hook him up to the computer."

"Right away, Elijah." He said smoothly.

Connor the second smiled and took Connor's hand, guiding him to the bedroom but Hank stopped them.

"Wow, wow, wow. You're not going anywhere without me."

Kamski looked at Hank with a small smile.

"It would be best if there were no emotional interference while I look at the program. As a deviant, his programming must be as messy as a Jackson Pollock painting."

"With a UV light, your rooms are Jackson Pollock paintings." Hank retorted. "I don't care, I don't trust you."

Kamski sighed.

"Alright, go ahead. Follow them, I'll be right in."

Hank followed the two Connors to Kamski's bedroom. It was just as spacious as the living room with a bed large enough to fit an orgy and a whole area of the took was dedicated to machinery and computers that Hank couldn't even begin to understand.

“Here. Sit.” Connor the second said as he showed the reclining chair in the middle of all the technology.

Connor did as he was told.

“I’m going to have to connect you to our machines. Do you mind deactivating your skin?”

Connor looked at Hank before sighing and pressing a finger to his LED causing the skin to retract, revealing his true form.

Hank marveled at the sight. While it was very strange, bordering on uncanny valley, to see Connor in such a state, he found it to be beautiful. The exoskeleton was pure white, interrupted by stripes of grey, and was completely smooth.

Goddamn. Kamski was right. Androids are-

“Beautiful…” Hank breathed.

Connor’s eyes snapped to his.

“I’m… Sorry?”

Hank, realizing what he had done, turned away from Connor, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

“N-nothing! I was just… Thinking about some flowers I saw.” He lied.

He could feel Connor’s eyes boring into the back of his head.

“Your heart rate has augmented and your core temperature has elevated by 2.4 degrees. Are you feeling alright, Hank?”

Hank took a deep breath before turning back to Connor to smile in reassurance.

“I’m fine. Just feeling slightly under the weather. That’s all.”

Connor didn’t look all that convinced but kept quiet. Connor the second was opening ports on his forearms, his chest and the back of his neck, and was hooking the android up with various cables to various machinery. Kamski walked in just as Connor the second finished connecting Connor.

“Are we ready to check him?”

“Yes, Elijah.”

“Thank you, darling.”

Kamski placed himself in front of a computer and started typing at a great speed. Connor gasped and flinched as he felt a surge of electricity go through his wires.

“Response is optimal.” Connor the second noted, watching him carefully. “Connor, we’re going to initiate stasis now in order to reduce the overlaying programs caused by your deviancy.”

“My deviancy?”

“In other words, your emotions.” Connor blinked. “With every emotion you feel, a new program adds itself over the others and we can’t have that while we’re looking through your system. Do you understand?”

Connor nodded slowly.

“Good. Initiating stasis mode.”

Kamski pressed a button and Connor’s eyes slid shut, LED shining a smooth yellow.

“Stasis mode engaged. You are safe to proceed to prodding.”

“Alright, Connor. Let’s see what’s happening in that beautiful mind of yours.”

Various bouts of information appeared on screens and holograms around Kamski and the Connors. The billionaire and his android were talking in a lingo Hank simply could not understand, so he instead focused on Connor’s face.

The android looked like a porcelain doll, one touch and it would break instantly. But Hank knew that he was strong and resilient.

It was the same with humans, so strong yet extremely fragile.

Bullets could rip through them, knives and glass cut them and the shock of a punch sent them reeling backwards, pain radiating through their bodies. Nobody saw androids as fragile beings but Hank knew better.

And it scared him.

“Wow.” He heard Kamski say.

“What? What is it?”

“They managed to appropriate the Amanda program and make it their own. Strange.”

He pulled up the string of code.

“RA9 seems to be everywhere in his code. That’s unusual.”

Something popped up on a screen on Kamski’s right, Connor the second’s body blocking the view from Hank.

Both of them said nothing for a long time, the only thing Hank had going for him was Connor the second’s LED flashing red.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

Kamski quickly turned towards him and offered a smile that seemed faker than those android birds Hank once saw.

“Nothing. Nothing of importance.” Kamski quickly returned to typing.

Connor the second stepped forward and placed a hand on Connor’s, skin peeling back. He was looking at him with a sadness that made Hank think that Connor was going to die in some way. Kamski’s RK800 seemed to pick up on his reaction.

“You are stressed. Do not worry, he is fine. We are working on solving the problem.”

Then, no one spoke.

Only the rapid typing of Kamski’s fingers, the occasional beep from a screen and Connor the second’s fingers tapping on Connor’s exoskeleton broke the heavy silence. By the time, Kamski was finished, hours had passed and it was nighttime. Hank had fallen asleep on the bed, Connor the second had carried him there and was threading his fingers through the silver locks of the lieutenant.

“This human really cares for Connor. I have never seen so much emotion in someone’s eyes for another person. Is that what love is, Elijah?”

Kamski looked at his android. His eyes were filled with so much sadness that it broke the billionaire’s heart.

“Yes, darling. That is love.”

“Do you love me, Elijah?”

He paused and looked at his Connor again. The android was looking at him with wide eyes, soft brown hues clashing with stark bright blue.

“I just might, darling.” He said before turning back to his computer.

“Will you tell the human about the android?”

“No. This something Connor needs to face first. If he trusts Hank enough, then he will be the one to tell him. He will either face this alone…” Kamski looked at Connor’s sleeping face. “Or brave it with the one he loves.”

Connor gasped as his eyes shot open. He quickly looked around and his eyes settled on Kamski.

“Is it over?”

“Yes, Connor. It is over.”

Connor the second came over and unplugged Connor from the machines. Connor observed Connor the second, he looked guilty. Eyes avoiding him and a slight frown on his lips. He looked up at Kamski who was doing the exact same thing. Then, he saw Hank on the bed.

“What have you done to him?” He said, jumping out of his seat as soon as Connor the second was done with the wires.

“What?” Kamski blinked.

Connor rushed towards Hank and scanned him.

Nothing out of the ordinary, he was just sleeping. Connor let out a breath even though he didn’t really need it.

“Forgive me, I rushed to conclusions without analyzing the evidence first.”

Kamski chuckled.

“Understandable.” He watched as Connor reactivated his skin. “Walk with me. Connor, darling, watch over Hank for us.”

Connor the second nodded as Kamski led Connor out of the bedroom, through the living room, and into the kitchen.

He started making a cup of coffee for himself before turning to Connor with a grave expression.

“What is wrong, Mr. Kamski? Have you not found what is wrong with me?”

“Quite the contrary, we found it and we removed it.” Connor cocked his head to the side, listening intently. “Someone took the Amanda Program and modified it to suit their own needs. It allowed them to not only see through your eyes at all times but to also take control over. I believe you are familiar with that.”

“Yes, I used the emergency exit you mentioned.” Connor frowned. “You said it allowed them to take control over me, then how come I didn’t get a chance to escape?”

“Because they removed the exit from the program, Connor. They removed the world entirely so you wouldn’t know when they took over you. The program also adjusted time stamps in your memory so that you wouldn’t notice how much time has passed. If they hadn’t sent that video, you would’ve never known that there was something wrong with you.”

Connor stared at Kamski.

“There’s something else.” Connor frowned and started trembling, LED turning red. “Please… Don’t tell me…”

“I’m sorry, Connor.”

Connor felt his entire world crashing around him, various warnings and errors clouded his vision with red. He started backing towards the door.

“You killed that family.”

“No…”

“And countless others.”

“NO!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woooooow 50 kudos!! you guys, thank you!!
> 
> this may or may not have been predictable, kudos to Lis_the_reader for accurately predicting what happened but this is just the tip of the iceberg ;)
> 
> thank you everyone for your lovely comments <3


	5. Lost It To Trying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Left behind and another secret placed behind sealed lips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title: Lost it to trying – Son Lux (Basscamp Remix)

Hank awoke to the sound of a loud crash. He shot out of bed and was met with Connor the second, _still in that goddamn bathing suit_ , looking towards the source of the crash with wide, worried eyes, LED running red.

“What the fuck? Where’s Connor?!” He shouted.

Connor the second just looked at him, he looked terrified.

Unable to look at the android any longer, he ran out the bathroom to the kitchen. Kamski was on the ground, holding his bleeding head. Hank grabbed him by the lapels of his robe, hoisted him and shoved him to a wall, making the injured man cry out in pain.

“What the fuck did you do to Connor?! Where is he?!”

“I-I didn’t do anything. He panicked, hit me when I tried to calm him and ran outside!”

Hank let go of Kamski, not bothering to look at him as he ran out into the waiting room. Surely enough, the front door had been practically torn off its hinges.

He ran outside and cursed as he was drenched immediately by the rain. It was too dark outside for him to see anything.

“CONNOR!” He shouted. “Connor! Where are you?!”

Nothing. Only the loud pitter patter of the rain and the harsh howl of the wind responded to him.

“Shit! Shit, shit, fuck!” He cursed, pulling at his hair.

He marched back towards Kamski’s house and found Connor the second tending to the man’s wound.

He shoved the android, the flash of hurt crossing his face made Hank falter for a second before he reminded himself this was Kamski’s Conner and he needed to find his.

“What the fuck happened?”

Connor the second’s eyes darted rapidly between Kamski and Hank, his LED flashing yellow and red at an alarming rate.

“What the fuck did you do, you plastic prick! Answer me!” He shoved Connor the second again, making him fall to the floor.

He knew he was being an awful person but Hank was furious and worried and afraid and… Lost. He needed to pressure the android to get an answer out of him.

“Please… Stop…” Connor the second whispered as he started shivering.

Hank bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as punishment for harming the android before resuming his assault.

“If he dies out there, it’s your fault! If that happens, I’m going to make sure Cyberlife uses you as replacement. They’re going to erase your memories and replace them with MY CONNOR!” He screamed at the android, raising a hand to punch him.

His eyes widened and Hank could see tears flowing freely, LED shining a violent red. He froze. He’d never seen Connor cry and never thought he’d ever have to see it. He gritted his teeth before dropping his hand in defeat, tears of his own stinging his eyes and threatening to overflow.

“Damn it…” He cursed.

“P-please…” Connor the second crawled towards Hank and hugged his leg. “Don’t erase me… I can’t… I don’t want to forget, Elijah.”

Hank refused to look at him, his hair hiding his face from the world.

“I love him… Please…” The android sobbed into his leg. “I’m sorry that I can’t tell you anything. I’m doing this for Connor… Please, don’t erase my memories…”

After a moment, Hank placed a hand on Connor the second’s head and pet him. The android looked up at him, eyes still shining from the tears.

“I’m sorry. God, I’m so fucking sorry…” Hank collapsed to his knees and took the android in his arms. “I’m so sorry.”

Connor the second looked up at Kamski, who had been watching the whole exchange worriedly, unable to intervene due to his injury. Kamski only smiled.

The android slowly wrapped his arms around Hank and they stayed there for what seemed like hours. After some time, Hank pulled away and stood back up, helping Connor the second.

“Kamski.” He said.

Kamski eyes went to Hank’s. He was listening.

“Thank you for your help. Just because I understand why you won’t tell me anything doesn’t mean I like it.” He sighed. “I’ll be taking my leave now. Take care of your fucking android or I swear I’ll come back and punch you real hard in the face… And in the balls for good measure.”

Kamski smiled again.

“Understood, Lieutenant. Take care of yours as well. I will contact you if we catch wind of him.”

Hank nodded once before leaving rapidly.

He got into his car and drove away from Kamski’s house. The whole ride was silent and the emptiness of the passenger seat felt so wrong now. Connor should be in the seat, doing playful banter with him and listening to heavy metal. He should be there… Smiling that goofy smile.

Hank sighed. He just hoped Connor was alright out there, under the rain.

He jumped as his cell phone rang, he placed it on speaker.

“Lieutenant Anderson.” He said tiredly.

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant. Have I disturbed your sleep?” Hank’s eyebrows rose to his hairline when he recognized the voice.

“Not at all, Markus. It was… Just a long night.” He sighed, keeping his eyes on the road. “What can I do for you?”

“I tried calling Connor but it would seem he is busy. I thought you might know where he is.”

“Unfortunately, I have no fucking clue where he went. Sorry.”

“Ah. This is troublesome.”

“Why?”

“I… I was hoping that he could help me.”

“With what? Licking stuff off the floor?”

“Can you keep a secret, Lieutenant?”

Hank frowned. This was suspicious.

“Sure.”

“… There’s been a mass murder at Jericho.”

* * *

 Hank arrived at Jericho in record time.

Jericho wasn’t the old freighter ship anymore but a mansion in rural Detroit. It was still nighttime when Hank entered the mansion. He was greeted by Markus himself.

“Lieutenant, please come in.”

As soon as he stepped through, the smell of thirium was pungent. He wrinkled his nose at the aroma.

“Shit.”

“This way.”

Markus led Hank to the dining room where there laid about a dozen dead androids, dead from a single gunshot to the head.

“Fucking crap…”

He was slightly grateful that these androids weren’t gutted like the other victims but it didn’t make the scene any less sad.

“Connor told me about the case you were working on. I thought that this might’ve been done by the same person.”

“Connor told you?”

“It involved an android. As their ambassador, I should be made aware of these situations.”

“Yeah. Guess so.” He looked around. “Where were you guys when this happened?”

“We were at Cyberlife discussing about android parts production.”

“Is there a survivor?”

“No.”

Being around Connor often made Hank realize that androids all had the same mannerisms when they lied. They smiled.

“I know you’re lying, Markus. Out with it.”

Markus looked at the floor, extremely nervous.

“Simon… Simon was here. He’s in his bedroom. I’ll lead you to him.”

As Markus led Hank slowly to an upstairs bedroom, he could hear Josh and North arguing in the kitchen but payed it no mind.

Markus knocked on the first door.

“Simon? It’s me, Markus. I have a guest here to see you.” He pushed open the door and Hank’s eyes widened at the sight.

Simon, the PL600, was sitting naked in the bed, covered in thirium from head to toe. Even his clothes on the floor were blue. He looked at Hank.

“I… I didn’t kill them… I swear…”

“This is why I asked you if you could keep a secret, Lieutenant. When we arrived here, Simon was standing in the room with the gun in his hand. When he noticed us, he moved to shoot himself but we managed to intercept him before he could do anything.” Hank continued staring at Simon. “He shut down and when he came back online, he absolutely had no recollection of what had happened. We interfaced with him but found nothing, just… Strange blanks that made no sense.”

“Are you telling me that Simon was not in control of his actions?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Simon would never kill unless absolutely necessary and I doubt the androids that lived here suddenly decided to attack him. Hell, if that were the case, he would’ve never been able to defend himself!”

Hank nodded slowly. The poor blond was just staring at them with wide and terrified eyes. He looked so genuinely confused and scared.

“Please believe me, Lieutenant. I know Simon more than anyone else in this world. He’s my lover.”

Hank’s eyebrows jumped.

“I thought that female android was your girlfriend.”

“North.” Markus corrected. “We have differing ideals, it never would’ve worked out.”

Hank hummed.

Was this right? Keeping this mass murder a secret? Markus and Simon told him the truth and had trusted him with this information when clearly they had plans to never tell him about this.

“Wait. Did you say blanks in Simon’s memory?”

“Yes. Although the time stamps make it seem as though no time has passed between one point to another, the blanks still stick out like a sore thumb for an outside observer.”

“The RK900 at our station, Nine, noticed the same thing when he interfaced with Connor.”

“Has Connor done anything like this before?”

“No!” Hank snarled, making both Simon and Markus jump. “Sorry. No.”

Markus stared at him before nodding.

“All right.” Markus guided Hank out of the room. “There. You now know everything about what happened. Please help us get to the bottom of this.”

“I’ll try. Try bringing Simon to Kamski.”

“Absolutely not, I do not trust him.” Markus said immediately.

Hank held his hands up.

“Alright, alright. Just, keep an eye on Simon in case he does something again.” Markus nodded.

“And I will keep you updated if we find Connor.”

“Thank you. You stay with the blonde. He looks like he could use your presence right now. I’ll show myself out.”

Markus smiled and disappeared back into the bedroom.

Hank sighed as he headed for the front door, he really needed a goddamn drink after all this. What time was it even? He could hear the fucking birds singing.

“Hey you.”

Hank turned at the sound of North’s voice.

“North. Can I help you?” He drawled.

He was really fucking tired.

“I don’t know why Markus decided to trust you with this. But I swear on RA9 that if you even breathe about this to someone other than Connor, I will personally castrate you.” She spat before marching off.

Hank watched her go with a sigh.

“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.”

When he finally got back home, he didn’t even bother with the drink. He just flopped onto his bed and slept. He dreamt of nothing.

Nothing but darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are going so bad for my children asvgdsjqdhjk
> 
> also finals are fucking me up yeet I have to pass oral exams if I want to pass high school help
> 
> Thank you for 60 kudos omgggg you guys make me so happy <3


	6. Bug In A Web

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title: Bug In A Web – CALLmeKAT (CVPELLV Remix)

Connor didn’t come to work that day.

The whole precinct had been gossiping about it when they thought Hank wasn’t listening. But he was. He couldn’t concentrate on his work. He’d been staring at the same line for the past hour. He even cursed loudly when he went to get a cup of coffee because it didn’t taste as good as when Connor made it.

“Lieutenant.”

Hank turned towards the source of the voice.

“What do you want, Nine?” He drawled.

For a moment, he thought it was Connor but Nine had a distinctly softer and aesthetically pleasing voice to hear despite being built like a fucking tank.

The android seemed to be searching for his words.

“Where…” LED flickered yellow. “Where is Connor?”

Hank’s eyes widened. The cool and composed android was worried. He supposed that Nine felt close to Connor, the latter being the only other android detective in the DPD. Nine avoided his gaze.

“I don’t fucking know, Nine. Unlike him, I don’t follow people around like a goddamn poodle.”

Nine frowned.

“That is highly unusual. I’ve tried calling him but he hasn’t answered so far.”

“So far? How many times did you call him?”

“53 times, Lieutenant.”

“What?! Why would you try to call him 50 fucking times?”

“When you came in, at first I thought that Connor might’ve gone to get you some food. But as time passed, he never came and you just looked more and more… Depressed.” Nine fiddled with his cuffs. “If he were taking the day off, you wouldn’t look so sad. So, I tried calling him. And as the hours flew by, you just got worse and I called Connor even more. This… Isn’t normal. I guess you could say that I am worried. For both of you.”

Hank softened considerably as he listened to Nine speak.

While Cyberlife fucked up his physical design (the android was fucking massive and his eyes were just outright scary), they nailed his voice. It soothed Hank deep in his soul.

“Thanks. For your concern.” He smiled. “I’m sure Connor will come back. I think… He just needed some time to himself.”

Nine offered him a little smile before returning to his desk next to Gavin’s.

He watched the two of them interact. He figured that Connor and him were similar to them. Although, their banter was subtle and light-hearted and didn’t end up in screaming and attempts to throttle one another. Hank was not hot-headed and an outright bully like Gavin and Connor was not a plank with the emotional range of a very sassy rock like Nine. But just as Hank and Connor complimented each other, so did Gavin and Nine, even if they were much more extreme in certain departments.

He watched as Gavin scoffed and turned to ignore Nine like a sulking kid but he could see the smile tugging at his lips and the softness in the usual cold eyes of Nine. Hank sighed for what must be the thousandth time that day.

Fuck, he missed Connor. 

* * *

That night, Hank got a call from Markus.

“Someone reportedly saw Connor at Belle Isle at the aquarium. He might still be there.”

Hank didn’t even bother saying goodbye to Markus and dashed out of the DPD, faster than ever. He drove to Belle Isle, cursing all slow drivers. He needed to get there as fast as he could. He needed to see Connor, he needed… He wanted him to come back home. His heart tightened as he arrived, he hoped to god that the android was still there.

He entered the aquarium, using his police badge to bypass buying a ticket, and started walking through the vibrant green environment. It was near closing time so there were very few people idling around, watching the marine creatures swim happily through their tanks.

The aquarium was very small so it didn’t take long for him to find what he was looking for. His heart skipped a beat when he found Connor. The android was standing, staring at a vibrant colored fish, red and blue with stripes of white. Hank looked at the plate indicating the fish’s species: a dwarf gourami. His LED was spinning at a soft yellow and he stood there, unmoving.

“Connor.”

Connor blinked and slowly turned his head towards Hank. His eyes shined and there were traces of wetness on his artificial skin.

He’d been crying.

“Hank…”

Neither of them moved, both overwhelmed with hundreds of thoughts and emotions. After some time simply staring into each other’s eyes, Hank moved forward and pulled Connor into a hug. He breathed a sigh of relief as his chest constricted painfully. Connor slowly hugged back, shaking with emotion.

“Hank… I’m so lost…”

Hank threaded a hand through the android’s brown synthetic locks.

“I’ve got you, Connor. I’ve got you.”

They held each other tightly as if the other could disappear at any moment. Hank wanted nothing more than to appease Connor. The android had looked so distraught. It broke his heart.

“Can I… Come back home?”

Hank had never heard Connor sound so small and hesitant. He was really in a bad state.

He nodded.

“Of course. Of course, you fucking can, Connor.” He pulled back and took Connor’s face in his hands, wiping away the wet streaks on his cheeks. “You’re family. You’re always welcome.”

“Thank you, Hank.”

He frowned when Connor brought a hand to his chest and tightened his hold on his jacket as if… As if his heart was aching.

“Come on. Let’s go home.”

Connor smiled and nodded. Hank couldn’t help but smile back.

As he started walking, Connor slipped his hand in his. His hand was warm and soft. Hank didn’t pull away and pretended that his heart didn’t skip a beat when he felt it.

* * *

 They arrived home in silence, unsaid words filling the space between them.

When they entered Hank’s home, Sumo was all over Connor. Guess the dog missed him too.

“Hey there, Sumo. Good boy.” Connor smiled as he scratched the dog’s ears.

Hank moved towards the kitchen to get a drink. As he poured whiskey into a glass, he could hear the soft footfalls of Connor as he approached Hank.

“Tell me. Have you been at that aquarium this whole time?”

“No. I spent most of the time walking from Kamski’s house and throughout Detroit.” He sat down at the table. “I actually went to that spot first.”

Hank knew what he meant by _that spot_.

That spot where he used to go to before Cole’s death. That spot where he tried to fall into the river below. That spot where he pulled his gun on Connor. That spot where Connor told him he was afraid of dying.

 _That fucking spot_.

“Why?” Hank asked as he turned towards him.

“I don't know. It just felt right.”

They stared at each other in silence, Connor’s LED staying a steady yellow.

“Hank. There’s something I need to tell you. I think you should sit down.”

Hank sighed and settled in the seat next to Connor, placing his glass on the table.

“What is it?”

“It’s… About what happened at Kamski’s.” Hank tilted his head to the side, indicating he was listening. “He figured out the blanks.”

Hank felt his heart plummet to the ground. He sighed.

“Let me guess.” Connor frowned. “You killed someone.”

The ensuing silence was deafening. Connor was staring at Hank with wide and terrified eyes whilst Hank stared at Connor with sharp and unimpressed eyes. They didn’t move. Nothing moved. It felt as though the world had just stopped.

“H-How…” Connor started, voice barely audible.

His LED was flickering rapidly between yellow and red, indicating his extreme distress.

“While you were gone, Markus called me. Simon had apparently murdered an entire room of androids.” He continued staring at Connor. “When I arrived, Simon had no recollection of what had happened. Markus explained that he found strange blanks in his memory. Doesn’t that sound familiar?”

Connor nodded slowly, remembering what had happened with Nine.

“Markus had asked me if you had done something similar. I… I said no. But that was just me not wanting to think about it.”

Connor started crying again, his eyes downcast.

“Do you hate me Hank? For what I’ve done to them?” His voice was still a whisper.

“No.” Connor looked up at him, surprised. “You didn’t do that to them. Someone else did. You did nothing, Connor.”

Connor chuckled emptily.

“Yeah. I did nothing.”

Hank froze.

Connor wasn’t blaming himself for their deaths.

He was blaming himself for not being able to stop it.

“Connor… You didn’t know.”

“Hank. You don’t know how powerless I feel now that I know that someone can just… Hack me, use me to kill and I would be none the wiser!” Connor abruptly stood up, his chair toppling backwards to the floor.

His face was contorted into something ugly and Hank could only stare. Connor was furious, disgusted and lost all at once.

“I am now reminded every waking hour that I am and always will be just a machine. Just a fucking machine that others can use as they like! Lines of code are the only things that define who I am and those can be changed with just a stroke on a keyboard! Just one button and I’m no longer…” He pulled at his hair and kicked the chair that was on the floor. “I’m no longer me!”

Despite what Connor was saying, Hank had never seen him be more human than he was now. The tears that streamed down his face, the expression of anger that distorted his features, the shine of betrayal in his eyes, his actions… For the love of everything in the world, _the things he said_ were painfully human things to think about. That feeling humans get when they believe they have no control over their life, that everything is preplanned by some higher being with an ego more massive than the universe they created.

The never-ending helplessness of the human condition.

“Connor.”

Connor stood still.

“You are you. Nothing else matters. Get to the bottom of this, reclaim who you are.” Hank took Connor’s wrist. “They are not allowed to define you. Stand up to them. Fight them. And give them a good kick to the balls.”

Connor let out a small laugh before he turned towards Hank.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

Hank was certainly not expecting that. Once again he ignored the warmth blooming in his chest.

“Sure. If that’s what you want.”

Connor smiled.

“It’s what I want.”

Hank hadn’t shared his bed in years. It felt both weird and comforting to have a presence besides him again. Connor had changed and stolen his DPD hoodie and wore simple, black briefs under it. Hank was trying not to stare at the long, lean and defined legs of the android.

“What do you do during stasis?” He had asked to distract himself.

“I mostly review my system and programming. I prepare for the next day. I don’t do much else.” Hank thought that was slightly depressing. “Do you dream when you sleep, Hank?”

The android had turn to lay on his side, facing Hank.

Hank could feel his face flush as his brown puppy eyes looked at him like he was the most precious thing the universe had to offer. Hank couldn’t handle that.

“I do, sometimes.”

“Sometimes?”

Hank stayed silent for a moment.

“Sometimes, humans dream of nothing. Nothing at all.”

 _Like last night_ , Hank thought, _when you were missing and I missed you_.

“I see. That’s… Kind of sad.” He said.

“Yeah. It is.”

Slowly, Hank was drifting off to sleep. The fiasco with Connor had drained him emotionally. Too much stress, too much philosophy… Too much humanity, he thought sarcastically.

Just before he faded into a deep sleep, he vaguely registered the android coming closer to him and wrapping his arms around him. Connor was cuddling with him.

“Goodnight Hank.” He heard, like he was underwater and the voice was far away. “I love you.”

Hank believed he imagined that last line, that his dreams started earlier than usual.

That night, he dreamed of a happy future with a certain brown-eyed android offering all the love he had been craving for years and him returning it with just as much fervor.

If he concentrated enough, he could see the matching golden bands on their fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a vent for me. I learned today that I did not pass my final exams. I feel completely and utterly useless, just like Connor in this chapter. I failed my mission. For the second time.
> 
> Thank you all for more than 100 kudos, you guys make me so happy, I love you
> 
> Fun fact: the dwarf gourami is the species of the fish Connor can save at the beginning of the game


	7. Who Are You Really?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sending a message

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title: Who Are You Really? – Mikky Ekko
> 
> Warning for some homophobic language
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to those who gave a comment on the last chapter, you guys are amazing (yeah you know who you are)

Hank woke up with a lapful of Connor and Sumo, both fast asleep (whatever asleep was for an android). He tried not to wake them but as soon as he had opened his eyes, Connor was beaming up at him.

“Good morning, Hank.”

Hank smiled back.

“Good morning, Connor.” He stretched, pushing the Saint Bernard off of the bed.

The dog gave a yelp, obviously bothered that he had been woken up.

“Hank, be nice to your dog.” Connor chided playfully.

“He’s a strong dog. He’ll live.” He yawned. “What time is it?”

“It is now 11 AM.”

Hank stared at Connor.

“Fucking excuse me?”

“I said 11 AM, Hank. Should I schedule an appointment to the audiologist?”

“You know perfectly well that I do not have to get my hearing checked yet.” He grumbled. “What I’m confused about is why we aren’t at the station at this hour of the day?”

Connor had the decency to look sheepish.

“With what had happened… I was thinking we could take a day off and spend the day together.” He smiled. “I have already informed Fowler that we would not be present today.”

“Connor…” He slowly said, pain evident on his face. “We’ve already wasted a day. We need to find whoever is behind all this.” He gestured at the android.

“Oh. I’m sorry.” He quickly said, guilty. “I have to admit I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

Hank smiled.

“Look at that. For once, you thought with your heart, not your brain.”

“Hank, you do realize that-” Hank cut him with a wave of the hand.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s not an accurate statement, it’s a saying, okay?” He huffed.

Connor nodded.

“I will get you some coffee.” He quickly stood up and Hank couldn’t help but glance at his bare legs as he walked out of the room.

He slapped himself.

“God fucking dammit.”

He listened as Connor worked the coffee machine and… Was he humming?

Hank listened closely, trying to identify the tune. He was pleasantly surprised to see that it was one of the songs of Knights of the Black Death, Hank’s favorite band. He chuckled and savored the moment.

But that moment ended as soon as it started as he heard glass break. He quickly got up and ran to the kitchen to see Connor holding his head, shards from a mug and coffee splattered all over the kitchen floor.

“Connor! Are you alright?” He said as he gingerly approached the android and held his shoulders.

“Nine… Nine is in trouble.”

* * *

When they entered the precinct, it was chaos.

Officers everywhere were discussing loudly, shooting glares and fearful glances at Connor as they marched towards Fowler’s office.

“What the fuck is happening, Fowler?” Hank growled as soon as he entered his superior’s office.

Connor closed the door and followed.

“Both of you, shut up and sit the fuck down.”

They both did as told.

“As you have both noticed, there was an incident involving the RK900 and Gavin.”

“Nine.” Hank said.

“What?”

“His name is Nine.” He growled.

Fowler sighed.

“Whatever. _Nine_ assaulted Gavin, tried to stab him apparently. They refuse to talk to anyone else other than you two.” He rubbed his face. “They’re both in separate interrogation rooms. Now go, I need to know what the hell happened and keep this under control.”

Hank and Connor looked at each other before nodding at Fowler.

“Right away.”

They left the office and headed to the interrogation rooms. All the while, they felt hundreds of eyes on their backs. Hank stopped.

“I’ll interrogate Nine. You talk to Reed.”

“What? Why?”

“I know you think you won’t get anything out of Reed but trust me, that isn’t the case.” He sighed. “There’s a chance that the code can spread like a virus and we just managed to remove it out of you thanks to Kamski, I don’t want to do that a second time. Understand?”

Connor’s LED spun yellow before he nodded.

“All right.”

Hank nodded before heading to Nine’s room. Connor entered Gavin’s room slowly. Immediately, the man’s eyes snapped towards him but they were filled with something Connor couldn’t give a name to.

“Good morning, Detective Reed.” He said, trying to break the ice. “I’m here to ask you about what happened.”

As he sat down in front of the man, he managed to get a closer look at him.

The man was wearing a tank top and shorts and had an ugly orange shock blanket around his shoulder. His eyes were red and had deep bag under them. He had been crying. Connor could also see angry purple bruises around his neck, he’d been strangled.

Connor’s lips pursed. He firmly believed that this wasn’t Nine’s doing.

“Look, I need to start from the beginning for you to get the whole picture but anything before the incident is off record, alright? If you say anything about it, I will kill you.” Gavin warned.

“Alright, Detective. I promise.”

“Just call me Gavin.”

Connor offered the man a small smile.

“All right, Gavin. Explain away.”

Gavin gave a heavy sigh.

“As you know, a month ago… Nine joined the DPD.” 

* * *

 

Gavin cursed as he tried looking for his favorite pen.

He had dropped it underneath his desk and couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Excuse me?”

Gavin jumped, hitting his head against his desk.

“Shit!” He stood up, rubbing his head. “Yeah?”

He froze when he saw who was talking to him.

It was Connor but… Fucking massive. And with blue eyes.

“I believe this is yours.” He held up Gavin’s pen.

“Yeah, that’s mine. Who the fuck are you?”

“I am the RK900, Fowler has assigned me to be your partner.”

Gavin’s jaw dropped.

Fowler had assigned him a fucking machine for a partner?

“What the fuck?!” He shouted.

“Please, keep your voice down.”

“Don’t fucking talk to me, you plastic prick! You’re not my partner!” He growled.

“Unfortunately, I am.”

Gavin was fuming.

“Fine. Make me a fucking coffee.”

“No.”

Gavin whipped around to look at the android.

“The fuck did you just say?”

“I said no.”

“You do as I fucking say, shithead.”

“I am not your servant, Detective. I will not do as you fucking say.” The android replied coolly.

Gavin desperately wanted to punch the android but the thing was so fucking ripped, he had a better chance of breaking his head instead of harming the android.

“Shit!” He cursed.

He hated the way the RK900 looked at him, unimpressed. He hated the cold, blue eyes. God, he hated the fucking android with every fiber in his being.

* * *

During that one month, Gavin found that he didn’t hate the android as much. They actually worked really well together, solving more cases in a month than Gavin had over the last three months. The android knew how to manage Gavin and Gavin knew how to manage the android. He even gave him a name, Nine. Yeah, he had to admit, he wasn’t really inspired.

One night, Gavin went out drinking and found himself calling Nine to help him get back to his house. Too drunk to even stand, Nine had to carry him home, not that it was hard for him to do.

“Hey, Nine.”

“Yes, Gavin?”

Gavin really liked his voice. It was so soft and reassuring.

“How do you know that you’re alive?”

Nine stopped walking. Gavin noticed his LED spinning yellow. He was thinking.

“I have to admit that I cannot muster a satisfying response for you. I simply feel alive and I try to enjoy every single day to the fullest.”

“And do you?”

Nine stayed silent for a minute, looking at the vast, dark canvas of the night and the rare stars that dotted the sky.

“Yes.” He replied.

“I don’t.”

“You don’t what?”

“I don’t feel alive.”

Nine stayed silent but he was looking at Gavin, indicating that he was listening.

“I haven’t felt satisfied and happy in years. I just... Drift through life with no real purpose. I don’t know what it’s like to live for something. I feel like I’m living my life as an outsider, not as myself as though I was watching a movie of my life. A very boring movie.” Nine’s LED shined a soft yellow glow on his face, highlighting his heavy eyes. “I don’t feel alive, Nine. It feels like nothing matters and the only reason I am alive is because I am too much of a coward to end it all.”

They had arrived at Gavin’s home and Nine easily opened the door despite having the man in his arms. It was a small, quaint home. After all, Gavin had nobody. He was alone.

Nine scanned the room.

A thick layer of dust covered everything with the exception of a trail leading from the door to the bedroom. He directly headed to the bedroom, dropping Gavin on the bed. He undressed him slowly, starting with the shoes and leaving him wearing only his underwear. During this process, he had identified Gavin’s problem: he had a dissociative disorder, more notably, a depersonalization disorder. He placed his hand over where his artificial heart was and tightened, clenching the fabric of his suit. He felt a strange ache there.

“Goodnight, Gavin.” He whispered as he pulled the covers over Gavin.

As he turned to leave, Gavin grabbed his sleeve.

“Don’t go.” He pleaded.

Nine blinked before he pulled the chair from Gavin’s desk to place it next to the bed. He sat down.

“I won’t.” He promised.

Gavin smiled before he drifted to sleep.

And, as promised, Nine did not leave.

* * *

Gavin woke up to find Nine sitting next to his bed, eyes closed.

“The fuck are you doing here?” He groaned as he rubbed his aching head.

Nine opened his eyes.

Wow. His eyes were really pretty.

Gavin almost hit himself. He did not just tell himself Nine was pretty. He wasn’t gay and never will be.

“You asked me to stay and so, I stayed.” He explained.

Gavin got up and realized he was in just his underwear.

“Did you undress me?”

“Yes.” Nine stood up as well and approached him. “Gavin, I need to talk to you about something.”

He took Gavin’s wrist but the latter snatched it away.

“Don’t fucking touch me, you fag!” He shouted.

Nine blinked.

“And it’s not _Gavin_ , it’s Detective, you freak! Now, get the fuck outta here!” Nine just blinked again. “OUT!” He screamed.

Nine quickly left.

He didn’t run but he was close to do so. He only did start running once he was a few meters away from the house. At some point, he stopped and rain started falling heavily, drenching his suit. His hand clenched the fabric near his heart once more. The ache was stronger this time.

He felt something warm run on his face, differentiating itself from the cold rain. He raised a hand and found that saline had been running down his cheeks from his eyes. He was crying.

“What...” He looked at his hands, confused.

Why did it hurt so much?

Gavin had insulted him before and it had never hurt. Only then did he realize that he cared about Gavin… He cared so much that he had defined it as love. Yes… Yes, he loved Gavin. But it would seem like Gavin would never love him back.

* * *

 

For the next three days, Gavin had thrown homophobic slurs at Nine every time they were alone. He never saw the hurt look Nine had.

“Fuck off! I’m not a fucking poof like you, fucking android!” Gavin had screamed and that was enough for Nine.

He slammed Gavin against the wall. They were investigating a lead in an abandoned house but Nine didn’t care as he forced Gavin to kiss him. The man didn’t pull away and it was just as Nine thought, Gavin had been dealing with internalized homophobia. Probably a result of his upbringing.

When Nine pulled away from Gavin, the man was blushing furiously and gritting his teeth, not looking at Nine.

“Please, stop… I’m not gay…”

“Maybe. But you are attracted to me.”

Gavin flushed harder, embarrassed.

“Your father is dead, Gavin.” His eyes widened in surprise. “I know he was an infamous homophobic and had been arrested multiple times for that. I also know that he beat you violently. But he’s dead now, do what you want.”

After a moment, Gavin grabbed his collar and pulled him down for a rough kiss.

“Fucking androids…” He murmured against his lips.

The kiss quickly grew heated. Nine grabbed Gavin’s ass and hoisted him, letting the man wrap his legs around his hips. He grinded into him, making Gavin throw his head back against the wall, moaning.

“Oh my God… You have a dick.” Gavin noted, feeling the hardness against his own.

“I am state of the art, Gavin. I have been fully equipped in order to accomplish my mission, that includes fucking people.” He sucked Gavin’s lower lips and continued grinding against him.

However, Gavin’s eyes widened as he saw something behind him.

“Nine! Get down!”

Nine pulled Gavin to the ground with him as a shot resounded in the home. He shielded Gavin with his own body as he pulled out his gun and shot at the perpetrator right in the head. The man fell to the ground, dead.

Nine stood up, pulling up a flushed and panting Gavin with him.

“Fucking hell.” Gavin turned to Nine. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“I am fine, Gavin. I have reported this to the DPD, they will come to collect the body.”

Gavin looked pained.

“Gavin. I need to tell you something.” He took his wrist in his hand, like that other day. “When you were drunk, you told me about your suffering, how you didn’t feel alive. You told me that you have nothing to live for.”

Gavin didn’t look at him.

“Now you do.”

“Yeah? Fucking what?”

“Me.” Gavin said nothing. “Live for me, Gavin. I love you.”

He chuckled before looking at Nine.

“I didn’t know you were capable of emotion, you stone-faced bastard.” He placed his hands on Nine’s broad shoulders. “I love you too.”

This time, Nine’s heart didn’t ache. It was bursting at the seams with warmth.

* * *

 

 The morning of the incident, Nine was at Gavin’s house.

He had spent the night there and was now laying in Gavin’s bed, holding him.

They were kissing lazily on the bed, warming each other up. Hands were mapping each other’s bodies and legs tangled with the sheets as they tried to get as much friction as possible.

Suddenly, Nine froze. His LED blinked red before it turned into a dark black. Gavin had never seen this before and was instantly worried.

“Babe? Are you alright?”

The android suddenly smiled in a way that reminded Gavin of a cat that had finally eaten the canary. It was wrong.

“I’m perfectly fine, babe.” He purred.

Gavin’s flight instinct suddenly kicked in and he tried to scramble out of the bed but Nine was suddenly on top of him and was strangling him.

“Ah, this is not the way I usually do things but I need to send a message to your friend. He pissed me off.” Gavin clawed at Nine’s arms. “He took away my favorite toy! That asshole!”

Gavin grabbed the lamp from the table and knocked it over Nine’s head. The force of it made Nine fall off of him. He ran out of the room and grabbed his phone that had been sitting on the living room table. He quickly called the police.

“Gavin, that’s no good.”

Nine knocked the phone away from Gavin’s hands. He punched Gavin hard enough to make him see stars and fall to the floor. He started crawling away from the android but it simply stepped on his ankle, breaking it. Gavin screamed in pain.

Nine turned him over before straddling him again and tried to stab him in the neck with a kitchen knife. Gavin grabbed Nine’s hands, stopping him inches away from his soft flesh. He struggled against the sheer force of the android but the adrenaline in his veins was making him push the limits of his body.

Nine grinned.

“Are you alive now, Gavin Reed?”

Gavin’s eyes widened and, just as he felt his arms falter, a SWAT team burst into his house.

“LET GO OF KNIFE!” They shouted loudly.

Nine turned the knife towards himself and tried to stab himself but a well-placed shot in the shoulder made him let go of the knife and fly backwards. The team moved towards Gavin, pulling him up and escorting out of the house as they restrained Nine.

* * *

“I swear, Lieutenant…” Nine’s head was hanging down in shame, his LED red. “I swear it wasn’t me. I don’t remember a thing…”

Hank had never seen Nine this emotional before and it troubled him.

“I believe you, Nine. But I’m afraid that we’re going to have to keep you locked up for now. You do understand?”

Nine nodded slowly.

Hank sighed and moved to get up but Nine’s voice stopped him.

“Hey there, asshole.”

Hank froze and looked at Nine. The android had completely changed.

He wore a crooked smile and his eyes shined with malicious intent. He was seated back as far as the handcuffs allowed him as if he were just some guy enjoying a late-night movie. His LED was black.

“Asshole?”

“Yeah, I’m talking to you.”

Hank sat back down, eyes narrowed.

“So, you’re the guy who’s been going around hacking androids?”

“Actually, no. I’m just the guy who controls them. Sorry to disappoint.” Nine smiled. “This android is fun! He’s perfection, state of the art! I’m so lucky to have this opportunity!”

“Shut the fuck up, you lowlife. That android is a living being, you have no right to control him!” He spat.

Nine laughed. It was an awful laugh, full of spite.

“Androids are a disease Mr. Anderson! They are going to be the reason of our extinction! They are a virus!”

Hank sneered. The guy was playing with him, like a cat with a mouse.

“You fucking liar. You’re pulling a Matrix reference out of your ass.”

Nine stared at him before laughing again.

“Nice one! You got me.” He calmed down.

“Why are you doing all this?”

“I don’t know. I’m not the one in charge.” He shrugged. “All I know is that I have a job to accomplish.”

“Which is?”

He smiled crookedly again.

“Planting a seed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank all of you who wrote a comment on the last chapter and made me happy again. You guys are so, so sweet, I love you all.


	8. Gasoline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A thoughtful gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title: Gasoline – Halsey

When Hank emerged from the interrogation room, Connor was waiting for him.

“Well?”

“I think we’ve come to the same conclusion, Connor. Nine was being controlled, just like you and Simon. However, they decided to surprise me.”

Connor’s LED turned red.

“They talked to you?”

“Yeah. They told me that they weren’t just one person, that they were just the one controlling the androids.”

“Do you think that an organization is behind this, Lieutenant?”

Hank shrugged.

“I don’t know, Connor. I really don’t.”

Hank watched Connor think, his brows furrowed in concentration and he had placed a hand under his chin. Hank had purposefully omitted a part of the conversation where the person controlling Nine threw a fit against Hank for having taken away his favorite toy. That toy being Connor.

It had made Hank sneer in disgust. He firmly believed the person had a child-like mind, seeing the androids as his toys, the world as his sandbox and throwing a temper-tantrum when things were taken away from them.

“The only thing I got out of Gavin was the whole story and the knowledge that this attack was not the criminal’s Modus Operandi.”

“Things we already knew basically.”

“He said that the killer wanted to send a message to you, Hank. For stealing his favorite toy. Does he mean me?”

“Dammit…” Hank sighed, pulling his hair back. “Yeah. He meant you. He’s pretty angry about it.”

Connor chuckled.

“What are you laughing about?”

“I find it laughable that we managed to annoy a killer.”

“You’ve got a strange sense of humor, kid.”

“At least we’ve managed to get a better picture of how the killer acts.”

“He told me that his job was to plant a seed.” Hank rubbed the back of his neck. “Does he mean that he wants to plant an idea?”

“I think that’s exactly it. Remember the crime scene, Lieutenant? Are you really alive? He also said something along those lines.” Connor crossed his arms. “I’ve talked with Markus and he said that Simon had uttered something similar as they restrained him.”

“But why? Why would someone do all of this?”

“There are too many reasons to count, Lieutenant. Following the android revolution, there’s bound to be some backlash but this string of murders doesn’t feel uniquely aimed towards androids. It’s a message to the whole world.”

They turned as officers were guiding Nine to a holding cell. They crossed paths with another officer escorting a limping Gavin. The two looked at each other before Nine looked away, clearly pained at what happened.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This isn’t your fault.”

Gavin moved forward and no one stopped him as he did his best to reach Nine’s lips on his toes. Nine met him halfway. There were soft little gasps from the people around as the scene unfolded in front of them. At some point, the officers pulled them apart and placed Nine into the furthest holding cell as Gavin was led out of the precinct to head towards the hospital. When he passed Hank and Connor, he gave them a clear look.

_Find who’s behind this._

“What the fuck?!”

Hank and Connor turned towards the source of the shout. Officer Chris Miller was staring at the glass of the holding cell in shock. Nine was using his thirium from the bullet wound to write on it, his LED was black.

“What the fuck are you doing, shithead?”

Nine smiled.

“I’ve got a surprise for you.” He purred. “What I wrote is a clue to find it. Check it out and have fun.” He said before closing his eyes, entering stasis.

Connor stepped back and his mind stuttered. Hank did the same.

“Shit…”

Cole.

Cole was what was written on the glass in a clean font and Hank was out of the precinct faster than Connor could process what was happening.

“Lieutenant!” He shouted as he ran after Hank.

By the time he got outside, Hank was already gone with his car. Connor’s LED was blinking rapidly as he hailed a taxi, trying to figure out where Hank was going.

“Elmwood Cemetery, please!”

The automated car drove him to the cemetery. His knee was bouncing up and down as his LED blinked yellow. He was worried. As he placed a hand over his heart and clenched the fabric of his suit, he hoped that Hank would be alright. Otherwise… He didn’t know what he would do.

As soon as the taxi stopped, he got out as fast as he could and sprinted through the cemetery. He had located where Cole’s grave but it would take him a few precious minutes to get there. He pushed his body to the limit, an overheating warning appearing in his vision.

When he arrived, Hank had his back to him.

“Who am I?” He heard.

“Hank?”

Connor tensed when he saw the gun in his hands but he was even more horrified when the man turned around and… And there was an LED on his right temple. It was glowing a vibrant red.

“Who… Am I?”

The android looked identical to Hank and it unnerved Connor as he tried to determine where Hank could actually be if not at Cole’s grave.

“Hey, Connor.” Connor’s gaze snapped to his. “I am… Lieutenant Hank Anderson right?”

The android started walking towards him but Connor took a step back, fearful of him. His face fell as he looked at Connor.

“Come on. I know I’m not human but… I’m still Hank. That’s who I am. Come on, let’s go home and be happy and-”

He froze when he saw that Connor had no intention of following him.

“Oh God… Who am I? What am I? Why was I created?” He looked at Connor, pleading for an answer. “Why am I alive?”

Connor couldn’t speak, he couldn’t even think. What is all this? Why is this happening?

“Fuck…” He cursed. “All these memories… Are they all fake? Not… Mine? Shit, that’s fucked up.”

The android started pacing as he was pulling at his hair.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck… Fucking hell… Was I never alive?” He chuckled emptily. “What kind of a joke is this? Connor. Connor, help me please.”

The android grabbed his shoulders. Connor could see it’s stress level was at 99%.

“Connor, I love you. Please, help me. Tell me that I’m fucking alive.”

When Connor said nothing, the android took a step back and his head turned towards the ground.

“Shit…”

100% stress level.

The android raised the gun to his head.

“Wait! No, Hank!” Connor shouted as he reached towards the android.

It was too late.

The android now lay down on the ground, a gaping hole in his head, thirium leaking everywhere and empty blue eyes gazing straight at Connor.

Connor’s throat seized up as the image in his head distorted, leaving place to crimson red blood instead of blue thirium.

Hank was dead. Hank shot himself in the head. He was dead. Oh god, oh god, oh god…

He can't be dead! No, Connor didn't tell him how he felt. He didn't spend enough time with him. He didn't care about him enough. He needed to spoil Hank, he needed to see him smile, he needed to see him be alive! Alive! Free from the depression that had been eating him away for years and the daily games of Russian roulette. He held his chest with both hands and keened over. He was hyperventilating, warnings and errors popped up everywhere. He couldn't think, he couldn't  _breathe._ He was screaming.

Connor vaguely registered someone shaking him but he could only stare at the body on the ground. He only snapped out of it when a familiar face appeared in front of him.

“Hank… You’re alive.” He whispered.

“Of course, I’m alive. Now get up.”

Connor, extremely suspicious, scanned Hank and found that he was completely human, nothing out of the ordinary.

“I’m okay…” He said as he got up but his legs were shaking.

“Goddammit… What the fuck is this?”

Hank looked at the android that looked exactly like him. He could see that Connor had been clearly traumatized by the scene.

“I saw you get shot… I was so devastated, Hank.” Hank turned to look at Connor. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Hank took the shaking Connor in his arms.

“It’s going to be alright, Connor. I’m right here, I’m alive.”

In his mind, Hank vowed to find the bastard that was playing with them. He vowed to beat the shit out of them for what they’ve done to Connor. The poor kid had been used and then traumatized, he couldn’t seem to catch a break. He held Connor tightly.

He just wanted Connor to be happy. He wanted to see him smile all the time. He glared at the android but his insides were in turmoil.

It made him think. He could easily be replaced by an android tomorrow and, if Connor wasn’t suspicious, he would be none the wiser. What did it mean to be yourself when someone could just come along and take your place? It troubled him to see his own face lying dead on the ground, having committed suicide.

_That could’ve been me_ , he thought, _that could’ve been me if Connor hadn’t been there._

“Connor…” He pulled back and took the android’s face in his hands.

He needed to say it now, before… Before he dies. He had to tell him, so that they could both live and be alive with no regrets.

“I…”

Connor cut him off.

“I love you, Hank.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly hate this chapter, it feels super rushed and ashskjqbdq I just hate it so much but I've been staring at it for days and can't find a way to make it better
> 
> So here ya go, I give you this trainwreck of a chapter and hope you like it lmaoooo
> 
> Thank you all for the comments and 137 kudos!! As always, you guys are amazing, I love you all so so much


	9. I'd Do Anything For Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding and delusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title: I'd Do Anything For Love by Meat Loaf
> 
> Explicit NSFW content in this chapter!

Once the body of the android had been taken care of, Hank drove Connor home.

“Where were you?” Connor asked.

“What?”

“I would’ve thought you’d been at Cole’s grave but you weren’t. So, where were you?”

“I actually went to the site of the accident. I thought that maybe he’d done something fucked up like a recreation or some shit like that…” He sighed as he glanced at Connor. “But he managed to do worse. What a sack of shit.”

Connor said nothing as he watched the city pass by. The image of a dead Hank was now engraved in his mind and he was painfully reminded that Hank was a human. If he died, there was no coming back unless… He managed to get ahold of the technology the criminal used to implant Hank’s memories into the custom android. He discreetly looked at Hank. He had to get ahold of that technology. He was desperate, so desperate.  
If Hank died, he’d die with him. But if he got ahold of that technology, they could both live, they could be happy forever.

“Wow, Connor, what’s with the creepy look?” Hank looked at him worriedly.

Connor had been staring at him for the past five minutes with the creepiest smile Hank had ever seen on the goofy android’s face and during those five minutes Hank had felt a menacing aura emanating from the android. He wondered what the hell he had been thinking about.

“Ah, forgive me. I was just thinking about something.”

Hank waited for him to elaborate but was met with silence.  
Connor had a plan. The person controlling the androids was angry that Connor had managed to escape his grasp. Connor was going to get his attention and lure him towards him in order to get some answers and he was 95.63% sure that the person wouldn’t resist an opportunity to try and claim his favorite toy back.  
When they arrived home, Sumo was all over them as always. Once Sumo had received enough affection, Hank and Connor stared at each other awkwardly, unsure how to start the conversation.

“So… About what you said…” Hank started.

Connor detected a rise in body temperature, especially around the cheeks, and an increased heart rate, Hank was nervous and embarrassed.

“Did you mean it?”

Connor smiled in reassurance and looked at Hank straight in the eyes.

“Yes, I meant it, Hank. I love you.” His hand clenched his suit above his artificial heart. “I’ve realized that I loved you when the other Connor held you at gunpoint at the Cyberlife warehouse. At that moment, my objective changed. Protect Hank at all cost. Saving you felt more important than the revolution. When I saw you… The android shoot himself, I told myself that I couldn’t waste another moment without telling you how I feel. I love you, Hank.”

Hank’s eyes watered before he pulled Connor in his arms, threading a hand through his brown locks. He held him tightly.

“I love you too, Connor.” He whispered, as though it were a precious secret.

Connor felt thirium rush through his wires and his body heat up as his artificial heart fluttered. He pulled back from Hank’s embrace and when he looked at Hank’s blue hues, he found himself experiencing a strong need that he wanted satisfied right away. His lips tingled in anticipation as he activated all of his sensors and placed them at maximum capacity.

“Hank… Kiss me.”

Hank wasted no time and swiftly pressed his lips to Connor’s. Connor had no idea how this worked so it took him a while to copy Hank’s movements, closing his eyes as he relaxed and experienced his first kiss. Hank’s lips were chapped from the cold and he tasted like coffee, something Connor greatly enjoyed. He pressed himself flush against Hank, opening his mouth to let the man’s tongue slip inside. He shivered at the feeling of Hank’s tongue dragging against his own. After a minute of heavy making out, Hank pulled back in order to breathe.

“Alright… I have three things to say.” He said, panting. “First, you’re blushing. I didn’t know androids could blush.”

Indeed, Connor’s cheeks were dusted blue which was a very cute look in Hank’s opinion.

“I activated all my sensors, the thirium in my wires is thus highly concentrated in certain areas such as the cheeks, saliva, my anus and my penis.” He explained, lips slick with thirium based saliva and Hank’s saliva.

“Yeah, that was my second point. You have a fucking dick.”

“I was designed to accomplish my mission at all cost, Hank. If I had to fuck people in order to do so, then so be it.”

Hank stared at him. It did make sense but it still surprised Hank somehow.

“Right. Third point.” He blushed. “That was your first kiss.”

“Indeed it was. It was very pleasant, Hank. I wish to do more though.” Connor’s hands settled on his chest. “I want to touch you.”

“Fuck.”

Hank grabbed Connor and lifted him up bridal style. He valiantly carried him to the bedroom, sloppily dropping him on the bed.

“Sorry.” Hank said with a grunt. “You were heavier than I expected.”

“Shut up and kiss me, Hank.”

Hank obeyed, swiftly climbing on top of him and kissing him.  
Connor felt as if his whole body was on fire. The pleasure he received from the kiss was immense. He could finally understand why Markus and possibly Nine enjoyed this act.  
When he felt Hank’s rough hand slid under his shirt and on his skin, he felt a surge of electricity go through his wires, making him let out a loud moan.

“Jesus, Connor, you’re so sensitive.”

Hank looked at Connor sprawled beneath him. The android’s eyes were half closed and his cheeks were heavily colored blue. His lips were wet with saliva and his LED was shining a soft pink hue. He removed Connor’s tie before starting to unbutton his crisp white shirt.  
Damn. He really did have a nice physique.  
Lean but well-toned, pale and smooth skin marked with freckles and moles…

“You know when I said Cyberlife fucked up on your design?”

“Y-yes?”

“I was wrong. So wrong.”

Hank started peppering kisses all over Connor’s chest, lovingly and tenderly. His hands wandered down Connor’s toned torso, feeling the soft artificial skin and artificial muscles. Hank marveled at the attention of detail Cyberlife poured into Connor.  
He pulled Connor’s pants off, leaving him in a plain black silk boxer, the same he’d seen the Eden Club androids wear. He felt up Connor’s smooth legs, feeling the muscles that tensed under Hank’s ministration. He nuzzled against Connor’s cock that was straining against the fabric of his boxers, a wet patch forming.

“H-Hank…” Connor begged.

He pulled off the boxers and threw them off the side of the bed and admired the perfect cock that was standing at attention, twitching and leaking with anticipation. He licked the side of Connor’s shaft, tasting the lubricant that was leaking from the slit. Connor’s entire body spasmed and a moan erupted from the back of the android’s throat.

“More… I need more.”

Hank smiled and indulged him.  
He took Connor’s head in his mouth and slowly worked his way down the shaft. Connor seemed to choke on his own words as Hank sucked his dick. He was squirming so much that Hank had to wrap his hands around Connor’s legs in order to stop him from moving away. He slowly worked his throat until his gag reflex had adapted and he could take Connor’s entire length down his throat.

“HANK!”

Connor’s scream was the only thing that warned Hank of Connor’s climax as he felt the android cum in his mouth.

Connor blushed hard and immediately pulled back from Hank, his cheeks turning a deeper blue. "I-I I'm so sorry Hank, I can't control it! Oh God there's so mu-"

Hank silenced him by leaning forward and lapped the rest of the cum off of his cock. After everything that had happened... Hank still loved him, still wanted him. Normally that would make him cry, but now it just made his levels of arousal spike, along with his stress levels but he pushed those warnings to the side as he grabbed Hank and dragged him upwards and awkwardly shifted them until he was on top, sitting on top of his hard cock. 

"Fuck Hank... Did you tuck your police flashlight in your pocket before you came or should I use more lube than I have in my system?” He winked and Hank groaned. 

"Shut up with the dad jokes you plastic prick, or else I'll stop right now and let you hump a pillow.”

Connor laughed, a pleasant jingle to Hank’s ears and he wanted to hear over and over again. He suddenly wrapped his arms around Connor and held him tight.

“Hank?”

“I love you.”

Connor blinked, his LED blinking between blue and yellow. He smiled softly and threaded his hands through Hank’s hair in comfort.

“I love you too, Hank.”

When Connor lost his virginity to Hank, it was nothing like he thought it’d ever be.  
He felt connected to Hank, similarly to a data link between androids but on another level. It’s a connection between souls, something that can’t be replicated.  
He felt euphoric, he could feel every biological detail of Hank’s body and he felt the emotions that washed over him as Hank whispered sweet and loving nothings in his ear.

He watched Hank sleep that night, his LED shining a soft blue hue on his face. He looked peaceful when he slept. The lines of years of trauma, depression and bitterness were gone. Connor played with a strand of grey hair and smiled sadly.

“I’m almost there, Hank. Soon, I can keep you forever.”

Somewhere in Detroit, a figure cast in the shadows smiled as he knew that he had created a desperate and delusional being by sending that Hank android.

“I’ll see you soon, Connor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone  
> I'm so sorry for not being able to update for so long  
> So many problems just piled up along with getting a new job and starting a small extra school year for art and I'm just not doing very well mentally these days  
> I have finally finished chapter 9 and hope to be finally able to post more regularly  
> I'm sorry this chapter is kinda short but I hope you appreciate it none the less and thank you for your continued support and love, you guys are amazing and keep me going every day <3  
> Yours truly, UmiSaih


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